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Chapter : 15
“Hello, my name is Hanisha. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”
Hanisha, holding the edge of her skirt, bowed politely.
From her angle to her tone, everything was proper.
Despite her round, soft appearance that seemed harmless, there was nothing to fault in her manners.
However, she couldn’t hide the nervous expression on her face.
“That attitude doesn’t suit a Stukkia.”
“From head to toe, so frail… tsk.”
As the murmurs of disapproval increased, the atmosphere grew even more severe.
Then, suddenly, another voice cut in.
“Daughter.”
“Come here, my daughter.”
The owner of the gentle voice was Pater.
“You should greet the grandfathers with your father, shouldn’t you?”
The familiar tone and the word “daughter” shocked the retainers.
Pater had never called anyone in such a tender tone. Not even his own daughter had been formally involved in court affairs.
“Is he really thinking of adopting her as his daughter?”
“This is absurd… but calling her that…!”
Even Count Roman hadn’t anticipated this.
Yet, Hanisha didn’t move.
“I’m sorry, Duke. Before greeting you, may I show you something first?”
“Something else?”
“Yes.”
Hanisha gave a short answer, excused herself, and returned carrying something—a tray with a teapot.
“I heard that all of you came early this morning. If it’s alright, I’d like to serve you some tea with a nice aroma. Is that okay?”
It was a timely and thoughtful suggestion.
It would have been natural to give a little praise to a child who had worked so hard since morning.
‘Hmm.’
‘I see she wants to earn points, but choosing this method…’
The retainers shook their heads silently.
Ever since he had injured his eyes, the Duke never accepted food directly from anyone. Anything he ate had to go through Caron first.
As expected, Caron respectfully placed a hand over his chest.
“If it’s alright, may I try it first, miss?”
“Uh…”
Unaware, Hanisha blinked in surprise.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
The girl, who seemed slightly troubled, soon gave an awkward smile.
“Thank you.” Caron smiled and lifted the lid of the teapot. Examining the aroma and leaves, he poured the tea into a cup.
Slowly, he brought the cup to his lips.
Count Roman unconsciously clenched his fist.
It was the moment Caron’s Adam’s apple moved slowly as he swallowed.
“Ugh…!”
Caron grimaced and suddenly pulled the cup away.
“Th-this…!”
He clutched a handkerchief to his mouth and began to cough violently.
“House… Housekeeper? Are you alright?”
Hanisha stepped forward, concerned.
“Caron, what’s wrong?”
Taking advantage of the confusion, Count Roman stood and quickly opened the teapot lid.
“Why… why are these tea leaves from the Ramus Mountains…?”
“Ramus is contaminated land, isn’t it!”
“And you brought that as tea leaves?”
Whispers rippled through the room.
Hanisha’s eyes widened in shock, and she looked at Count Roman as if it were unbelievable.
“B-but that’s…”
“Call a doctor immediately! Hurry!”
Count Roman cut off Hanisha and approached Caron, who was still coughing with the handkerchief over his mouth.
“Don’t swallow it. The poison is strong—it could paralyze you—”
Cough, cough. “I-I’m fine.”
“…What?”
As the Count stiffened, Caron slowly lowered the handkerchief.
The white cloth was spotless, without a drop of blood.
‘H-how did this happen?’
The Count’s face stiffened in confusion.
“I’m sorry. I’m not good with hot drinks, so I ended up making a scene.”
Caron cleared his throat once or twice and, as if nothing had happened, placed his hand over his chest.
“By the way, miss, your skill is impressive. I’ve never had tea this delicious before.”
“The chef taught me the proper way to brew it.”
“Correction: it’s slightly bitter.”
“I brewed it at the end myself.”
“But that bitterness was perfectly balanced. The proportions were flawless.”
As Caron evaluated the tea, the retainers froze awkwardly.
No one could comprehend the situation.
“Oh, and…”
Hanisha took something from her pocket—a bundle of dark green tea leaves.
They were the Ramus Mountain leaves that Count Roman had given.
“Actually, these tea leaves were given to me by the Count, but since they were precious, I didn’t use them. I’ll return them.”
“Eh? From the Count?”
At Caron’s puzzled question, the Count flinched.
“No, I never gave such a thing!”
He waved his hands as if baffled, his expression troubled.
“Why lie… child, you shouldn’t speak such wicked words.”
“But surely the Count…”
“Lies are not allowed!”
Count Roman’s voice snapped sharply.
Hanisha’s eyes widened in surprise.
Realizing his mistake, the Count gave an awkward smile.
“This is a first for me as well, isn’t it?”
He glanced at those who agreed with him.
However, everyone avoided his gaze.
They treated him like someone entirely unrelated—or rather, like someone to be avoided.
As the Count blinked, uncertain, Caron spoke first in the silence.
“Count, what the lady brought is tea leaves.”
“That’s right! Tea leaves from the Ramus Mountains! Instant death upon consumption—”
“These are the tea leaves the Duke usually enjoys.”
“…What?”
Caron turned and held the leaves toward the Count.
At first glance, the dark green leaves looked like Ramus tea… but their tips were slightly split.
They were a type of tea commonly enjoyed in the North.
Count Roman finally realized:
Hanisha had never once called those leaves ‘Ramus tea’ in front of anyone.
His face turned pale.
‘I knew it all along.’
He had anticipated her plan from the start.
But Count Roman was a person trusted publicly.
If he rashly rejected her suggestion, who knew what rumors might circulate among the retainers?
“Hello, Chef! Do you have any good tea leaves?”
So I immediately ran to the kitchen.
“…Are they for you, miss?”
“They’re for the adults. Preferably something fragrant and relaxing.”
It was wiser to seek the advice of someone experienced rather than just picking anything.
“Should we brew the tea like this?”
“It’s better to wait until the steam is rising. That way, the aroma is best. …But why not have dessert?”
“Ah! Chef! Watch out! The hot water spilled on your foot!”
At the same time, I recruited witnesses to confirm my alibi while spending time with them.
But the timing was slightly off, and I had to bring the tea without cooling it.
‘I was worried it would be extremely hot. And it was.’
I silently apologized to Caron.
“This… this must be some misunderstanding.”
The Count, realizing the situation late, tried to explain.
“I’ve been investigating banned herbs recently, so perhaps I got too sensitive. I apologize for the commotion, Duke.”
Even though Caron had acted as if he had really eaten Ramus tea, he was now pretending to worry about the Duke.
“You’ve always been sensitive regarding matters involving the Duke, Count.”
“Understandable. There are always people targeting Stukkia, after all. Haha…”
Other retainers chimed in, subtly painting me as a threatening child.
‘If only I had brought the real Ramus tea… should I just pop it in his mouth?’
I thought, but then…
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
The Duke, who had been silent all this time, spoke for the first time, his low voice filling the room.
He gestured silently. Caron quietly presented the teapot and cup to him.
“Count.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Come here.”
As the Duke beckoned, the Count approached awkwardly.
The teacup was slid in front of him—take it. He hesitated but lifted it.
“I would like to verify if your claim is true, but unfortunately, my eyes prevent me from doing so.”
As if waiting, the Duke lifted the teapot.
With that, he poured the deep reddish tea into the cup.
